


The Christmas Witch

by Dreamy_Dragon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 16:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28531407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamy_Dragon/pseuds/Dreamy_Dragon
Summary: Hermione is done with Christmas. Or is she?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 4
Kudos: 83
Collections: sshg_giftfest





	The Christmas Witch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [madeleone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/madeleone/gifts).



> Many thanks to DelphiPsmith for the beta. She is the best!
> 
> Originally written as a gift for madeleone during the 2019 sshg_giftfest on livejournal.

'Meeting adjourned,' Minerva said. We will reconvene at the end of next term. The exact date is yet to be decided upon.' 

She nodded at the assembled Board of Governors. 'Feel free to join us for a little reception before you leave.'

With that statement she led the way from the conference room down to one of the rooms off the Great Hall where the house elves had prepared what looked more like a feast than an informal reception. There was tea, coffee, pumpkin juice and – fitting for the time of year – some mulled wine. There also were plates with mince pies, biscuits, cucumber sandwiches and an assorted variety of more modern-type finger food. A couple of years ago, Lucius would have sniffed at these Muggle incursions into his orderly world. Now, he found himself strangely curious about the rather delicious-looking little chicken and veggie kebabs, the tartlets and (at least those were familiar) canapés. He accepted a cup of tea from one of the elves, got himself a plate and piled a little of everything on it. The essentials secured, he found himself a spot at one of the bar tables that placed him within hearing distance of the buffet. 

Nibbling at a tartlet – spinach and goat cheese, his palate informed him – he felt a little nostalgic. 

Previously, when he had been on the Board, he had been the leading voice. It was practically certain that everyone would follow his suggestions even if the Headmaster would frown upon them. He had used his position to further his political agenda – or what he thought his political agenda was. 

He wouldn't go as far as calling his former self an idiot, but he would admit that – perhaps – not all his ideas and choices had been that well thought through. 

These days he felt a little like he was on probation. Well, he probably was. But at least he was back in a position of some influence. Plus, the current political climate held a number of unexpected surprises. His eyes followed a shapely curly-haired witch as she picked some nibbles from the buffet. Yes, Miss Now-Granger-Again was certainly one of them. 

When he was re-elected onto the Board – with the help of a few bribes and some genuine statements as to his endorsement of the new wizarding politics – she had subjected him to a thorough scrutiny. And then, when he had apparently passed muster, she had been astonishingly willing to accept him, though not a single one of his statements went unchallenged. To his surprise he found himself enjoying their verbal sparring and it seemed so did she. In the course of two years, she had become an acquaintance...perhaps even a friend. 

'Any plans for Christmas?' he heard Minerva ask her. 

Hermione's face nearly fell before she assumed a cheerful expression. 'I'm going back to my flat in London. Nearly two weeks of uninterrupted reading time.'

Minerva looked a tad suspicious. 'Are you quite certain? You could stay. Even though you are technically on holiday, you could spend Christmas here.'

'No, thank you. I have a stack of books and a very nice bottle of wine waiting for me. It will be paradise.' Hermione's smile looked almost genuine.

'If you are quite certain?' Minerva asked.

'Positive. But thank you.' Hermione said.

Lucius' eyes narrowed. What was that all about? 

Ah, yes. Spectacular divorce. All over the _Daily Prophet_. Officially no hard feelings from either party. And yet, Miss Granger was spending Christmas on her own. And not as happy about it as she pretended. Hmmm. 

'Knut for your thought?' Severus interrupted his musings.

'Just wondering about the story behind the Weasley divorce.'

Severus followed Lucius' line of sight. 'Why? Are you interested?'

'I am a happily married man. Besides, I don't want to find out just how many creative hexes Narcissa knows.'

'Yes, she was always rather good with those,' Severus said. 

Before he could say anything more, the witch they had just been discussing walked over to them, a mug of mulled wine in her hand. She nodded at the two wizards. 'That was a pleasantly brief meeting, don't you think?'

'Definitely. Thankfully the current headmistress has a reasonable grasp of just how much time people want to spend in meetings in the week before Christmas,' agreed Severus.

He seemed to have become a little taller at Granger's approach and his expression was almost cheerful. Well, as cheerful as Severus got. Hmmm, wasn't that interesting. An idea began to form in Lucius' mind. 

He smiled at Granger in a way that would have had lesser people quaking in their boots. 'Are you looking forward to your first Christmas away from Hogwarts, then, Miss Granger? How many years does one have to teach here before one doesn't have to supervise the students over Christmas?'

'Three,' said both Hermione and Severus in unison. 

'Unless the Headmaster requests one to stay,' Severus added with a sour expression.

'Dumbledore.' Hermione's voice indicated that they had discussed that topic before and that she clearly shared Severus' feelings about the old coot.

She too had perked up noticeably at the sight of Severus. 

'So, any plans for Christmas, Miss Granger?' Lucius enquired, pretending not to know already. 

'As I was telling Minerva earlier, I look forward to a cosy sofa and uninterrupted reading time,' she replied. It sounded much more convincing the second time.

Severus raised an eyebrow. 'You are not spending Christmas at the Weasleys then? I'm sure Molly would be happy to have you despite…'

'Oh, she would. But I am not going.' Hermione took a sip from her mug. 'It would be too awkward.' 

Despite her words there was an almost wistful expression on her face that vanished so quickly that nobody would have noticed it – unless they were a Slytherin and had made a whole career out of observing other people closely. 

'What about you, Severus?' she asked. ''Are you staying here?'

'No,' he cast a quick look at Lucius. 'I am spending Christmas with the Malfoys.'

'Oh.' She looked a little disappointed, Lucius noticed.

'Then you will be seeing Harry there,' she added. This time there was no mistaking the slightly wistful note in her voice. 

Severus almost smiled. 'I know.' 

'You do?' Lucius asked.

'Narcissa told me when she sent the invitation. I think she rather looks forward to having the whole family at the manor,' Severus explained.

At the word "family" Hermione had taken a long draught from her mug. She now peered into it and, apparently realising that it was empty, excused herself.

Severus looked after her, an unfathomable expression on his face. Lucius nearly smiled as he saw the way his friend tried to pretend not to notice Granger. Not at all. He excused himself soon afterwards as well. He had some plotting to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione stared at the parchment in front of her, then re-read it for the fourth time in as many minutes. What the hell was all this about?

 _Mrs. Narcissa and Mr. Lucius Malfoy request the pleasure of your company for the Christmas Dinner and subsequent festiviies to be held at Malfoy Manor, Wilts. on 25 December..._

She threw a bit of Floo powder into her office fireplace, bellowed "Grimmauld Place" and stuck her head in. 

To his credit, Harry appeared almost immediately. 

'What have you done now?'

Harry stared back at her 'What are you on about?'

'This.' Hermione's head disappeared, only to reappear a moment later preceded by an arm that thrust the offending parchment at Harry.

Harry skimmed over the contents. Looking up, he beamed at Hermione. 'This is brilliant.'

Seeing her irate expression, he quickly added. 'Why don't you come through and we can discuss this over a cuppa?'

A little later, a mildly placated Hermione sat across from him at the kitchen table, stirring sugar into her tea. 

Harry chose not to comment on the sugar, having learnt the hard way that – on the few occasions his best friend broke her "no sugar anywhere near my tea" rule – it was best not to ask. Instead, he said, 'For the record neither I nor Draco had anything to do with this, but I think it's a fantastic idea.'

'No.'

'Why not? And why are you so upset? You've been to Malfoy Manor before.'

'It's not the house.' She held up a hand as Harry opened his mouth. 'It's not the Malfoys, either. I know they have changed.'

Harry looked even more confused. 'Then what is it? We could spend Christmas together. It'll be like old times.'

'No, it won't.' More vigorous stirring.

Harry said nothing.

Then, very softly, 'I don't like Christmas anymore.'

Oh. 

'Harry, I miss them so much. Even after all these years...'

He went over to Hermione. Taking her in his arms, he let her cry into his robes for what felt like a very long time. Then the sobbing gradually turned into sniffles and Hermione looked up at him. 'Thank you,' she said with a watery smile. 

Harry nodded. 'You saved your parents' lives.'

'I know. But the thing is, the Weasleys, the Malfoys, they're all very nice and I know they mean well with their invitations to a family Christmas,' she explained. 'But they're not _my_ family. Honestly, it was better when I had to stay at Hogwarts. It didn't hurt so much, then.'

'I know. Believe me, I do.' Harry said.

'I know you do.' Hermione finally took a shaky sip of her tea and winced. Too much sugar. 

'It's your decision, of course, but please do come,' Harry said. 'For what it's worth, I consider you family, and I'd love for you to be there.'

'That's very sweet, but...I don't know,' Hermione said. 

'Plus, I'm sure Scorpius would love to see you. One more person to spoil him rotten.'

She sighed. 'I'll think about it.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Christmas day dawned, though neither bright nor early for Hermione. She had spent the better part of Christmas Eve alternately drinking a bottle of Bordeaux, trying to focus on her book, and dithering about whether to go to Malfoy Manor (as she had accepted the invitation) or to claim a headache and stay home.

Come to think of it, she actually _did_ have a headache and a rather woozy stomach, though that probably had something to do with the aforementioned bottle. Somehow, the more wine she had drunk the less appealing her original plan – stay home and read – had become. 

Had her bathroom always been so far from her bedroom? And the way always so twisted? She finally found her remaining vial of Severus' hangover potion in her medicine cabinet in the bathroom and downed it in one gulp. 

Hm, Severus. Now there was a thought. He tended to look good in dress robes. And he probably would make a special effort for the Malfoys' Christmas dinner. Though he tended to look rather nice in whatever he was wearing. 

Plus, he could always be counted upon for good conversation and the occasional sarcastic comment. The food would most likely be good too. More than good. 

Now that the nausea was gone, her growling stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten anything since lunch – half a cheese sandwich and an apple – the day before. Time to find some breakfast. And coffee. Definitely coffee. 

As it turned out, coffee _was_ breakfast since her fridge was empty apart from a lump of something green and furry. Hermione wrinkled her nose and quickly _Evanesco_ ed the thing.

A sip of strong black coffee later she had convinced herself that food and company were better than an empty fridge.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione changed the colour of her dress robe to midnight blue. After a quick glance at herself in the mirror, she flicked her wand again and changed the robe back to its original burgundy.

'Not a word,' she growled at the mirror.

'For someone who doesn't want to go, you're putting a lot of effort into your appearance,' the mirror observed. 

'I could always replace you with a Muggle mirror, you know.'

There was no answer from the mirror: It just shuddered in horror, making her reflection ripple a bit.

Hermione sighed and tried another colour – forest green this time – before switching once again back to burgundy. 'Perhaps anything red is too obvious?'

The mirror remained silent, obviously sulking now.

Hermione finally settled for midnight blue. Next, footwear. This one was easier: she just went with her favourite heels, equipped with a cushioning charm, and changed the colour to fit her dress. She cast a quick spell on her hair to put the strand that had just escaped back into the bun and twirled the ringlets that were supposed to frame her face becomingly. 

She had just put in the gold earrings her parents had given her for her seventeenth birthday over fifteen years ago and was trying to decide which necklace would go best with the earrings and the dress when she noticed an owl tapping at her bedroom window. 

Having relieved the owl of its message, she gave it a treat and it immediately flew off again. Obviously whoever had sent it wasn't waiting for an answer. 

Unfolding the parchment, she read _Stop dithering. Get dressed and meet us at my place at 11:30am. H._

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione, Harry, Draco, and Scorpius materialised in front of the manor gates that swung open to welcome them. Scorpius immediately detached himself from his father's Side-along embrace and ran past them, the other three following at a more sedate pace.

As soon as they entered the Malfoy grounds, the gates closed behind them and everything changed. The grey sky turned into blue; the grounds were sparkling with snow. Lights were strung in every tree, deer could be seen grazing further away, and right in front of them a silvery-white sleigh materialised, six reindeer in front of it, clearly inviting them to step in.

'Snow globe spell?' Hermione whispered in Draco's ear as they climbed in. 

'Don't tell Scorpius. To him it's all winter wonderland,' he whispered back.

Fortunately, Scorpius was too busy patting the reindeers and pointing out all the amazing things he saw to Harry to notice the other two adults whispering.

Once everyone was settled, the sleigh glided smoothly towards the main entrance of the house at a pace slow enough that they had time to admire what was indeed a winter wonderland. 

Even though she knew the spells that enabled this, Hermione found herself entranced by the sheer beauty of it all – and by Scorpius' joy. He kept pointing out the lights, the deer, the glittering snowbanks, and was absolutely certain he had seen Father Christmas leaving the grounds. Perhaps he had been a little late seeing that he had so many presents to deliver? Everyone agreed that this was probably the case.

They were welcomed by Narcissa, Lucius and Severus. The former exchanged hugs with their son, son-in-law and grandson whilst Hermione and Severus stood a little awkwardly, facing each other.

'Fancy seeing you here,' he said.

'And a happy Christmas to you, too,' said she.

Narcissa and Lucius greeted her with warm and genuine (or almost genuine) smiles. After the necessary pleasantries had been exchanged, Lucius led the way – not to the formal dining room in which dinners for the Board and Hogwarts staff were held, as Hermione had expected, but past it into what was clearly the family wing and a smaller, cosier room. There was a fireplace with a fire crackling merrily away, a tall, beautifully-decorated tree in the corner, garlands of holly strung along the walls. Through an open set of doors another room was visible, with a table with places laid for seven.

Hermione's eyes widened when she realised that there would be no other guests. She accepted the dry sherry Lucius offered her, then surreptitiously tugged at the sleeve of Harry's robes. She wanted a word with him. Now. 

Long years of experience had taught Harry that it wasn't a good idea to ignore her, so he followed her to a quiet corner. While Scorpius was busy telling his grandparents and Severus all about his morning and the sleigh ride, Hermione and Harry pretended to admire the tree. 

'What is going on here? ' she hissed. 'Why am I the only non-family guest?'

Harry shrugged. 'I have no idea, but I don't think it's anything nefarious. Pureblood rules about hospitality and all that.'

'Hm.'

'Besides, neither Draco nor I would let anything happen to you. Nor would Severus.' Seeing her look, he hastily added, 'And of course you're quite capable of taking care of yourself.'

Before Harry could put his foot in any further, Lucius swept over to them. 'Hermione – may I call you Hermione?'

She nodded.

'Then you must call me Lucius. Hermione, we are so happy that you could join us. It is always so nice to have an even number of adults for a party.'

'Thank you, Mr-- Lucius. It is my pleasure.' She wasn't entirely sure she meant it, but it was the polite thing to say.

'Will you allow Severus to escort you in to dinner?'

'Of course.' Aha. An inkling of what this was all about began to dawn in Hermione's mind. It was not, all things considered, an unpleasant idea. Definitely something that could prove interesting.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Not only did Severus offer her his arm to lead her in to dinner, she also found herself seated next to him at the table.

Dinner did not disappoint.

The table was laid with fine china, silver and crystal – exactly as one would expect from the Malfoy family. On each plate was a Christmas cracker sparkling in silver and gold. Hermione offered one end of hers to Severus to pull; he accepted: a loud bang was followed by a shower of colourful sparks and then a small cauldron, a mini wand and a witch's hat toppled out of it, chasing each other around the table. Hermione felt laughter bubbling up. Perhaps this hadn't been such a bad idea after all. 

Scorpius was jumping up and down in his excitement and refused to stop until everyone had pulled a cracker with him. 

Once the crackers had been enjoyed, Lucius snapped his fingers and the food appeared. Hermione would have disapproved, but she knew that not only did he employ free elves these days but also that almost all his former elves had elected to stay with the Malfoys.

A roasted stuffed turkey materialised in the middle of the table, surrounded by dishes filled with roast potatoes, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and silver boats filled with gravy and cranberry sauce. 

_It looks every bit as a Christmas Dinner should look_ , Hermione thought, fighting a not-completely-unexpected wave of nostalgia. Fortunately, Severus chose this moment to ask her opinion about a book on holiday traditions he had recently read on her recommendation.

They continued their discussion, moving on to other books, through the main course and the Christmas pudding and port, and neither noticed the very satisfied looks Lucius was casting surreptitiously in their direction.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Several hours later, things were much quieter.

Scorpius had finally agreed to go to bed in one of the rooms upstairs, after having fallen asleep in an armchair twice – though only after both Granddad and Grandma had promised him a bedtime story each. Narcissa and Lucius were upstairs now, fulfilling their promises. Harry and Draco had snuck off somewhere. No doubt to have a little private Christmas moment together.

Hermione yawned. She took her wineglass and stepped out onto the terrace for some air.

There was still snow all over the grounds in a pristine blanket of white, and the lights twinkled very prettily in the trees in the darkness. Just above her, magical snow began to fall, dry and warm. She smiled.

The afternoon had been fun. There had been charades and a mix of wizarding and – to her surprise – Muggle board games, in which everyone participated. For some reason she ended up paired with Severus more often than not. That had been another surprise. 

Not the fact that she had been thrown together with him frequently. If she wasn't mistaken that had been Lucius' purpose in inviting her to begin with. No, the surprise was the almost boyish enthusiasm with which Severus had played. She had never seen him so carefree and ready to laugh before. It was a side of him she rather liked and wanted to see more often. All in all, this Christmas had turned out a lot better than she had thought.

She heard soft steps behind her, and then Severus stood next to her, clinking his wineglass to hers, smiling. 'So you are this year's Christmas witch,' he said.

'Excuse me?'

'Every year, Narcissa invites a suitable witch for Christmas dinner in the hopes of getting me paired off,' Severus explained.

'Oh?'

A corner of his mouth twitched. 'It has never worked. Apart from you, she is one of the brightest witches I know, but she has no idea what I find attractive.'

Hermione almost beamed at the hidden compliment. Almost. 'Lucius invited me.'

'Ah.'

'Ah?'

'He tends to be a bit more perceptive in some things than his wife.' Severus pointed at a sprig of mistletoe that hovered near the glass door. 'It would be bad manners to disappoint our host, don't you think?'

Hermione kissed him.

When they both came up for air, she said, 'Very bad manners.'

Apparently, Severus agreed because he kissed her again. And again. And again...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*fin*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


End file.
